This may seem obvious, but just in case it isn't, definitely get a helmet that is DOT approved, you can buy smaller and cheaper ones but if you value your brain box enought to wear a helmet, you'll want one that is actually going to do some good. IMHO halfies look better, but if you put in any effort on the web you can find pictures of people who had gnarly stuff happen to their jaw and face. (and no this isn't the explanation for my ugly mug) Comes down to what level of risk you are willing to take I think.

I will be buying a helmut for the first time this weekend. Anyone have any tips advice etc.

This is my favorite Helmut

If you are looking for helmets I'd have 3 tips. 1) Buy one you'll wear 2) Get a full face 3) After you've made sure you got a full face get a Froggy mask from Respro. Just google Respro Froggy and you'll find somewhere that sells them. They don't make it uncomfortable, or hot but you can ride and never fog up, glasses or the shield. Unless you never ride under 65 degrees or in the rain, then never mind the froggy.

All else being equal a full face lid offers the best protection. Modular, or flip ups are a good compromise between a 3/4 and a full face IMO. Sorry for the buzzkill, but if I'm safe in assuming that the first helmet equals a first bike and new rider, you could be making a fatal mistake by chosing anything other than one of those two choices.

On a related note, we can screen "When Billy Broke His Head" at another Betty's Cinema night if anyone is interested...

Don't get me wrong, I don't think the helmets at scooterville are *bad* per se but I'd go to the Hitching Post or Motoprimo for a helmet. My scooterville off-brand flip-up is okay, but the selection at a bigger motorcycle store makes it a lot more likely you'll find something that fits your head well. After riding for three months with the flip-up from scooterville, I went to Hitching Post and discovered my head is really a good match for an HJC AC-3 and/or AC-11. They carry Arai, HJC, Shoei, Bell, and others, and you've got to try a lot of brands to find out what fits you the best. I feel safer and better-protected in my properly-fitting AC-3 than in my what's-available flip-up from Scooterville. The kicker? Good, brand-name helmets from the Hitching Post aren't much more expensive than the off-brand jobbies at scooterville.

And for the record, this is probably the only time you'll ever see me advising against buying something at the Ville. And it's not because I think their prices are bad or their value is bad, but because I think a helmet is much too important to trust to a selection as narrow as Scooterville's. If your head is shaped like a Shoei helmet, god help you because they're expensive; but on the other hand, you want the helmet that fits you the best and feels the best - it's the single most important piece of gear after the scooter itself. So if you find the Shoei fits you best (thankfully that wasn't true for me), then shell out the $400 and buy the Shoei. Me, I'm an HJC man, so my 3/4 helmet (AC-3) was $120 and when I get around to buying the AC-11 it'll cost me just shy of $200 for a SNELL-approved full-face helmet.

Another great place for helmets is Midwest Cycle on Nicollet in Mpls. Great folks to deal with and one can usually find last year's model helmet at a decent price. I would rather buy a leftover model (and, BTW, all my lids are full face and Snell approved) that fits great and is $$$ cheaper than the latest Racer Replica currently going for big bucks. But that's me, YMMV.
We've bought two full face Snell helmets for Susan at super cheap prices.
Plus they carry women's riding gear and you can usually find a leftover jacket cheap.

Bob's Cycle Supply (Hwy 36 and Rice Street) is another place to check out. Pretty good selection of helmets and riding gear as well.